The Top 10 Cities for Tech Jobs

Which cities are the most promising for tech job seekers? We offer our own analysis and rankings.

We all know technology is constantly changing and evolving, but what about the cities responsible for producing that technology?

Silicon Valley has been a well-established player in the tech sector since the 1980s, but it definitely is not the only player, and the competition is growing. There are many cities waiting for technology professionals to fill some of the open positions at top companies in that area. Dice.com, a leading job site for technology professionals and one of our data sources, has almost 85,000 IT job postings across the United States, and roughly 55,000 of those are found within our Top 10 List.

This list takes you around the United States to the biggest tech sectors, from Silicon Valley to Silicon Alley and more; you might be surprised to learn where the tech sector is booming. Among our list we have Washington, D.C., also known as Silicon Hill, and Chicago, which is becoming known to as Silicon Prairie.

We include the average IT employee salary for each city, with a high of just under $150,000 a year and a low of just above $80,000. The average tech employee has a respectable salary, but how does it relate to the cost of living in that area? Well, we include the cost of living for each city as well. Which companies employ all these individuals? Also listed are a few highly valued companies in each area. From Foursquare's home of Silicon Alley to Living Social's headquarters in Silicon Hill, technology companies are thriving across the nation and there's no way to limit that growth to just a couple cities. So check out our top 10 cities for tech jobs to learn more.

1. With 10,585 open positions, the New York Metro area tops the list. The average tech salary is $92,223. Just outside NYC is home to IBM, one of the highest valued tech companies. Tumblr and Foursquare are also headquartered in NYC. The Cost of Living Index for this area ranges from 132.3 to 159.4.

2. Second on our list is none other than Silicon Valley, where tech workers average $148,775 per year. There are 8,709 roles available. Silicon Valley has many highly valued tech companies such as Apple, Google, HP and Intel. Whether you're looking for social, professional or gaming networks, Silicon Valley provides headquarters for Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Zynga. The Cost of Living Index ranges from 138.3 to 156.8.

3. The third city on our list is the booming metropolis of Washington, D.C. Tech workers around Capitol Hill average $94,932 and there are 7,445 job openings. AOL, Living Social and SAIC are all headquartered in D.C. The Cost of Living Index is 124.4 to 141.1.

4. Following D.C., we have Baltimore. In this Maryland city, there are 6,921 openings and on average a tech worker makes $95,456. Baltimore is home to Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. Companies Accuvant, SafeNet, and Zinoss also call Baltimore home. The Cost of Living Index is 105.5.

5. The fifth on our list takes us back to the West Coast city of Los Angeles, with an average salary of $84,591 and 5,111 open roles. Kingston Technology, Vizio, NewEgg and Boingo Wireless hold their headquarters in Los Angeles. The Cost of Living Index is 144.9.

6. The Windy City is number six on our list. Chicago tech workers average $82,744 per year and there are 4,135 positions available. Groupon, Orbitz and Feedburner, which was founded by Twitter’s CEO, Dick Costolo, hold their headquarters in Chicago. The Cost of Living Index is 109.4.

7. Boston is our seventh city. Tech workers make an average of $97,760, the second largest salary of all cities listed, and there are 3,751 openings for tech workers. With MIT and Harvard nearby, the Boston area houses some of the largest company offices such as Microsoft and Google. The headquarters of EMC Corporation are also located in Boston. The Cost of Living Index is 144.3.

8. Traveling down south to Dallas-Ft. Worth brings us to number eight. There are 3,455 positions available with an average salary of $84,350. Fortune 500 lists 18 Dallas-Ft. Worth companies, including Texas Instruments, Exxon Mobil and AT&T. The Cost of Living Index is 94.6.

9. Next on our list is Atlanta. The average salary for tech workers in Atlanta is $84,842 and the job openings come in at 3,142. AT&T Mobility, EarthLink and Insight Global are headquartered in Atlanta. The Cost of Living Index is 97.6.

10. Closing out our list and taking us back to the East Coast is Philadelphia. An average salary for tech workers here is $84,612 and there are 3,106 openings. Two Philadelphia born companies were sold at high prices. Invite Media was bought for $81 million by Google in June 2010, and MyYearbook.com was bought for $100 million by leading Latino social network Quepasa in June 2011. The Cost of Living Index is 110.